A common feature of computer systems used in the home and office environment is an interface by which the user can interact with the computer system. Such interfaces generally involve a control area that the user selects or activates, e.g., via key strokes or mouse inputs, to implement a function associated with the control area. Conventional user interfaces can generally be categorized as being either graphical or key based, depending on where the control area is located or implemented.
In key based systems, the control area is located or implemented on a keyboard, control pad or other input device separate from the computer screen or display. In these systems the user often must contend with complicated physical manipulation of keys or buttons on the keyboard or control pad in order to select a desired function. Such manipulation of the keyboard or control pad draws the user's attention away from the display and, therefore, can interfere with the user's involvement in the active application.
In recent years, GUI operating systems have gained favor. User interaction in GUI operating systems generally involves placing control areas, such as menus, tool bars, dialogue boxes, or icons on a screen or other display. One advantage of such GUI operating systems is that the user or viewer can interact with the operating system and application programs without diverting attention from the display. GUI operating systems thus promote user immersion in the underlying application. However, when control areas are placed on the display, they occupy part of the user's viewing space and so obstruct or distract from the user's capacity to see and focus on the underlying visual presentation.
More recently, some developers have proposed translucent or superimposed control areas that only partially occlude the visual presentation. For example, the control areas of such systems may appear as a lightly shaded image through which the viewer can see the visual presentation. With a translucent or superimposed control area, however, the viewer may still be distracted by the image of the control area and not able to focus completely on the visual presentation.